Happy Endings
by Col3725
Summary: After Betsey is admitted to the hospital, Cooper brings up the idea of adopting her when he's talking to Charlotte one night. When Charlotte makes her decision, she never imagines that just a few months later, a woman from Cooper's past will show up with a kid...set after 4x21...AU obviously
1. Chapter 1

Charlotte's lying in bed, slid up against Cooper, combing her fingers back through his hair. She gives it a little tug, getting his attention. "She's gonna be ok, Coop."

Cooper turns his head sharply towards her. "That's what you said last time."

She sighs. He does have a point. She said everything was going to work out for Betsy and that's the opposite of what's happened. She brushes her thumb against his cheek, sliding her hand upwards and running her fingers through his hair again. "She's tough."

"That's what you're going with? She's tough? So because she's tough, it's ok that both her parents died? So because she's tough, it's ok that her foster brother abused her? So because she's tough, it's ok that she's without a family—again?" He pauses. "That's like saying, because you're tough, it's ok that you were raped."

She shutters.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean—I'm sorry," he says, stumbling over his words.

She shakes it off and presses her body against his. She closes the gap between their lips and her nails graze his cheek as they kiss. She breaks from him and settles back down. She slips her hand in his and interlocks their fingers.

He turns his head and looks at her, their faces an inch apart. "Betsy's just a kid."

She nods. "She'll get her happy ending. I did," she says, glancing down at her hand that's intertwined with his, to take another look at her wedding ring.

The room falls eerily silent for a couple minutes and then he shifts and looks at her suddenly.

She raises an eyebrow. "What?"

He just looks at her, one of his eyebrows slowly creeping upwards and his smile growing.

"Spit it out, Coop."

"Let's adopt Betsy."

She blinks and coughs. "Excuse me?"

"Let's be her happy ending."

"We've had this conversation before."

"I know."

"Nothin' has changed, Coop."

He sighs and nods. "Yeah, you're right. We should just let the state handle it 'cause that worked out so well the first time."

She glares at him. "I get that this sucks, Cooper, but us adoptin' Betsy isn't the solution." She gets off the bed and disappears into the bathroom.

He sighs. He knows she's right, but he also knows how long it can take for older children to find good homes—that is if they even do.

She opens the bathroom door and looks at him. "I thought you didn't want to adopt Betsy?"

She's not wrong. "At first I didn't, but I don't want to see her get bounced from one family to the next. She needs stability."

"And you really think we can provide her with that stability?"

He nods. "I do." He pauses. "Plus, this is what Dell would have wanted—for one of us to take responsibility of his daughter and keep her in the family."

"We've been married less than a week, I'm just startin' to truly feel like myself again, and we don't know the first thing about bein' parents in general, much less to an eight year-old who's been through as much as Betsy has."

"Parenting is a trial and error kind of job, Charlotte, whether the kid is eight or eight weeks."

She doesn't want to talk about this anymore, so she says, "I'll think about it."

He twists his mouth. "You're not just saying that to shut me up, are you?"

"I'll never tell." She laughs and gets off the bed again. "I'm gonna go get a snack. You want somethin'?"

"I'm good."

"Ok." She goes into the living room and walks behind the kitchen divider.

* * *

_Want more? Review!_

_**Warning: If you don't like Mason or that story-line, I suggest not reading this story because he will become a bigger part in later chapters. **_


	2. Chapter 2

Charlotte's in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, when she spies Cooper hovering in the doorway. She flips on the water and spits out the toothpaste. She swallows and turns her head. "What?" She gurgles with water and raises an eyebrow as he creeps in, a smile growing on his face.

Cooper grabs hold of her hips and presses a few warm kisses to her neck.

She shivers and chokes on the water in her mouth. She coughs and leans against the counter. She swallows and throws back another small Dixie cup of water.

"You ok?"

She nods and coughs again, clearing her throat. "I'm fine."

He rubs circles into her back with his thumbs as he dives for her neck again, showering her with kisses.

She melts against him and closes her eyes.

"Good morning," he mumbles against her skin.

She smirks and runs her fingers through his air. "Mornin'."

He pulls back and leans against the counter. "You think about it yet?"

"No." She walks into the bedroom and sits on the edge of the bed, putting on her shoes. "This isn't a decision we rush into, Coop."

He sighs. "I know." He joins her on the bed and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

She rests her hand on his leg and closes the gap between their lips. She smiles as she breaks the kiss, and touches his nose with the tip of her index finger. "This decision is gonna affect us for the rest of our lives and it's gonna affect Betsey for the rest of her life too. It's not something you just decide to do over a cup of coffee in a hospital waitin' room."

He nods. He hates it when she's right.

"I'll see you for lunch?"

He gives her another kiss, this time on the lips, and smiles. "Mmhmm."

She stands up and starts walking towards the living room.

He tugs on her dress and smiles. "We're newlyweds, Char. We have an excuse to be late."

She turns around and he pulls her onto his lap, planting a kiss on her lips. She rests her hand on his chest and scrunches his shirt in her fist. She kisses back and then pushes at him. She swallows and shakes her head. She leans in to give him another kiss and then slips off his lap. "I can't."

He pouts. "You're no fun."

She waggles an eyebrow. "Come find me at noon. We can be newlyweds until 2:30." She smirks and leaves the loft.

He falls back onto the mattress and grunts. _Tease. _He rolls off the bed and disappears into the bathroom to get ready for work.

* * *

Charlotte's standing at the nurses' station outside of Betsey's room, looking through the open door every once and a while. She turns her head back to the chart she's reading and glazes over it. She lifts her head again and stares into Betsey's hospital room—Violet's in there now.

Amelia slides in beside Charlotte and leans against the counter. "The swelling in her brain is coming down."

Charlotte blinks and turns her head. "Did you say somethin'?"

Amelia nods. "I was just saying that the swelling in Betsey's brain is improving."

"Oh. That's good." Charlotte pauses. "You wanna catch a meetin' after work?"

"I think I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on Betsey."

"Amelia."

"I'm fine. It was just a slip, right?"

Charlotte nods. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"So what's up with you?"

"Me? Nothin'. I'm fine." Charlotte pauses. "You didn't buy that, did you?"

Amelia shakes her head. "Nope."

Charlotte sighs and twists her body a little, giving them more privacy. "Cooper brought up the idea of adoptin' Betsey yesterday, and he's gonna keep buggin' me until I give him a definitive answer."

Amelia shifts and leans against the counter more. "What do you wanna do?"

Charlotte shrugs. "I don't know. I told Coop I'd think about it." She pauses. "I'm not so sure Cooper's really thought this one through completely, though."

"You're stalling, aren't you? Telling him you'll think about it, but really you're just waiting for him to come to his senses and change his mind. Am I close?"

"I'm not ready to be a parent. Whatever happened to waitin' to start a family?"

"No one waits anymore." Amelia pauses. "Why don't you ask Violet if you can babysit Lucas for a night? It'll be good practice."

Charlotte shuts the chart and walks around the counter, setting it in the appropriate slot. "Babysittin' Lucas and raisin' Betsey are two completely different things."

"But it couldn't hurt."

"No, I guess not." Charlotte turns her head, looking into Betsey's room for the fifth time in ten minutes.

"For the record, I think you'd be a great mom."

Charlotte snaps her head back to Amelia and blinks. "Really?"

Amelia nods. "Yeah."

Charlotte smiles and glances at her watch. "I'll see you later." She disappears down the hallway and stops at the elevator. She presses the button and lets out a breath. She slips into the elevator cart and leans back against the wall, closing her eyes. She doesn't know what to do. She gets where Cooper's coming from and she agrees with him, but she doesn't know if she's totally ready to say yes to something this huge.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that afternoon, Charlotte's leaning against the doorframe of Betsey's hospital room, looking at the little girl sleep with the sheets pulled all the way up to her neck. She sees Betsey stir, so she flicks her eyes down, glancing at the chart in her hands.

Betsey opens her eyes and stretches, letting out a yawn. She reaches for the pink cup on the tray and knocks it over by accident.

Charlotte looks up after hearing a soft gasp and walks into the room. "Everythin' ok?"

Betsey nods. "I spilled the water all over the blanket. Sorry."

Charlotte shakes her head. "It's ok." She sets the chart down and moves the tray to the side. She removes the blanket and motions for a nurse. "Get me another blanket, please."

The nurse nods and leaves the room again.

Charlotte pours Betsey another cup of water and hands it to her. "Careful."

Betsey smiles. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

There's a knock on the door and they both turn they're heads. "Cooper!" Betsey erupts.

Cooper gives Charlotte a look, complete with a quick eyebrow raise, and then walks over to the bed. "Hey there, kiddo." He smiles and takes out a plastic toy pony from behind his back.

"Is that for me?"

"Maybe." He laughs and hands it to her.

Betsey runs her finger through the horse's golden mane. "Can I keep it?"

He nods. "Of course." He pauses. "What's her name?"

Betsey looks at the horse and then back up at Cooper. "Buttercup." She sets the cup on the tray and scoots backwards. She walks the pony over her legs and neighs. "Thanks, Cooper."

He gives her a kiss on the top of her head. "You're welcome, sweetie."

"Are you gonna stay and play with me?"

"I have to go check on a patient, but I'll come back and play with you later. How's that?"

"Ok."

The nurse comes back and lays out the blanket. She checks Betsey's IV while she's there and then leaves again.

"I'm sure Charlotte would love to play with you." He cuts a glance at Charlotte and smiles.

"Well actually, I—."

"Please?" Betsey makes her eyes go all wide and she waves her plastic pony in the air.

Charlotte sighs and glares at Cooper.

"Have fun." He lets out a soft chuckle and disappears down the hallway.

"I guess I can keep ya company for a little while."

"You were with my daddy that night, right?"

Charlotte nods. "I was." She sighs and sits in the chair beside the bed.

Betsey shifts on the mattress, her eyes going a little bit glossy. She blinks and runs her hand over the horse's mane. After a couple minutes, she holds out the pony and smiles.

Charlotte takes the horse and combs through its hair with her finger. "So you like horses?"

Betsey nods. "I love them."

"I used to have horse."

Betsey's eyes widen. "A real horse? Not a stuffed one or a plastic one? You had a real live horse?"

Charlotte laughs and nods. "Mmhmm. I got 'er when I was twelve. Her name was Marjorie and she was whitish-grey."

"Was she a pretty horse?"

"She was a beautiful horse."

"Did you ride her too?"

Charlotte nods. "All the time."

"Wow, that's so cool."

Charlotte sets the horse on the tray and scoots closer to the edge of the chair. "How's your head?"

"It hurts."

"I bet." Charlotte adjusts something on the IV stand and smiles. "That should make you feel better." Her pager goes off suddenly. She looks down at it and nods. "I have to go take care of somethin'. I'll be back later. I'll tell you more about my horse if you want."

Betsey nods. "Uh-huh."

"Ok. I'll be back later." Charlotte stands up and leaves the room, not at all clearer on what she wants to do about the whole 'adopting Betsey thing'.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **Mason **will** be part of this story and I'll let you know when that is when we get closer to it. It'll probably be chapter 10 or 12. _

_But for those of you who don't like Mason, I have a couple story ideas that sort of just popped into my head:_

_1) Cooper has a three week old patient in the NICU, who's mother died in childbirth and who's father died in Iraq before she was born. He falls in love with her and wants to adopt her_

_2)Violet and Pete die in a car crash and Charlotte and Cooper end up getting custody of Lucas. _

_**Side note:** Mason will be mentioned in both these stories but will not be a central part of them. _**  
**

_As always, review :)_


	4. Chapter 4

Charlotte's outside, sitting on a bench in the garden, eating a salad. She's stabbing her tomatoes with her fork as she sits there thinking. She looks around and sighs.

Cooper comes up behind her and rests his hand on her shoulder. He lowers his head and presses a kiss to her cheek. "I've been looking all over for you."

She jumps a little and drops her shoulders when she finally registers that it's Cooper. "I've been busy."

He walks around the bench and sits down beside her. He steals a tomato and pops it in his mouth. "Whatcha doing out here?"

"Just thinkin'." She shifts on the wooden slats and closes the plastic container. She's not very hungry. She untwists the cap on her water bottle and takes a long sip. She swallows and hooks her arm around his and rests her head on his shoulder.

He smiles. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"You should know."

"Anything worth sharing?"

"Not really." She hugs his side and lets out a breath. "Do you honestly think we can do this, Coop? More importantly, do you think I can?"

He twists his body towards her and traces the lines on her palm with his finger. He smiles at her and nods. "I do and that's my answer to both questions." He slides his finger up the length of her forearm and back down slowly as he continues. "She knows us, Char. We're not just some random strangers and we know what happened. That'll work in our favor." He squeezes her hand and looks at her.

"But don't you think that since we were there both times, it'll be harder for her?"

He shrugs. "I'm not saying it's gonna be a walk in the park, Char."

She lets out a breath and blinks. "I need more time to think about this." She leans against him, resting her head back on his shoulder.

He hooks his arm around her back and rubs her hip. "You planning on checking on Betsey later?"

"Why?"

"She mentioned something about you telling her more about your horse. I was just making sure you were still going to do that."

"I am."

He smiles. "Ok." He pauses. "How's your day going?"

She shrugs, looking at him, a faint smile on her face. "It's goin' ok. First half will no doubt be better than the second"

"Why's that?"

"Second half is heavy on the administrative side of my job—that means lots of meetings and phone calls and paperwork."

"Gotcha. If you need a break, call me." He gives her a quick kiss on the lips, drawing it out as he caresses her jaw line with his finger.

She melts into him, turning herself a little and kissing back. She stands up and smirks. "Keep your phone on." She laughs and heads back into the hospital.

He turns around and watches her disappear. He lets out a breath and leans back against the bench, taking in the spring air as it blows against his face. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and checks to make sure his volume is up. He puts it back into his pocket and sits there for a little bit longer.

* * *

Charlotte walks in the front door of the loft later that night, completely exhausted. She walks passed the couch and heads into the bedroom. She smiles and takes off her shoes, crawling into bed with Cooper, who's sitting up reading a magazine. She curves her body around him and rests her head on his shoulder, letting out a breath and a yawn as she relaxes.

Cooper sets his magazine on his stomach and hooks his arm around her, gripping her hip gently. He turns his head, his lips meeting her forehead. He kisses her and slides his hand up her side, pulling at her dress a little. "Long day?"

She nods, shifting slightly. "Remind me to bring my photo album to work tomorrow—the one with the grey cover."

He raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I have some pictures of Marjorie that I wanted to show Betsey."

He smiles.

"Just remind me, ok?"

He nods. "I'll try." He pauses. "You seem awfully into Betsey. Does that mean you're considering saying yes?"

She runs her hand up and down his chest, tugging on his T-shirt. "I already said I was thinkin' 'bout it, Coop. What else do you want?" She pauses, changing her tone when she says, "Betsey asked if I had pictures and I do."

"Mmhmm," he mumbles, sensing that that's not the full truth. He twirls a loose piece of her hair around his finger and closes his eyes. "I'm guessing you ate at the hospital?"

"I did."

"There's some leftover pasta in the refrigerator if you're hungry. I also saved you a red velvet cupcake."

She rolls onto her back and sits up. "I'm just gonna take a quick shower and get ready for bed." She pauses. "But don't even think 'bout stealin' my cupcake, mister. I'll have it tomorrow."

He laughs. "That would have been my next question."

She gets off the bed and opens her dresser, pulling out a pair of pajamas—some shorts and a tank top. She disappears into the bathroom and shuts the door.

He hears the scream of the shower turning on a few seconds later, so he lifts his magazine off his stomach and listens to his wife's off-beat and uninhibited singing through the door. He smiles and focuses on his tech magazine.

* * *

_Please review :)_


	5. Chapter 5

A few days later, Charlotte's sitting up in bed around 3:15 AM. Her breathing is quick and her heartbeat's even quicker. She clasps her hands in front of her, in an attempt to calm herself down. She gnaws into her bottom lip and closes her eyes, a thin layer of tears welling up. A couple rebellious tear droplets squeeze their way out from under her shut eyelids and roll down her cheeks.

Cooper stirs, rolling over in his half slumber state, and opens his eyes. He tilts his head and looks at his wife. He sits up abruptly and sighs. "Char?"

She turns her head and blinks her eyes open. "I'm ok."

He goes to touch her, to comfort her, but she shrinks and pushes his hand away.

"Don't touch me."

He snaps his arm back and nods. "Ok, I won't. Just tell me what I can do."

"Go back to sleep. I'm fine."

He shifts on the mattress, slipping back down to a lying position, and closes his eyes. If she thinks he'll be able to go back to sleep now, she doesn't know him as well as she believes she does.

As she sits there, trying to work herself back down to calm, she's painfully reminded why it's not a good idea to have a child living with them right now, especially, a child who's been through as much as Betsey has. She swallows and after a little less than half hour later, she turns her head, looking at Cooper. She knows he's awake, but she's grateful that he's pretending to sleep—for her. She lets her hand lazily work through his hair, her nails scratching his scalp.

He opens his eyes and looks at her. "Hmmm?"

"I'm ok."

He silently curses himself for sleeping through her nightmare. He usually wakes up. He doesn't dare bring the subject up. He just offers her a smile and traces the long visible vein on the underside of her forearm.

She shimmies down the mattress and rolls onto her side, facing him. She lets out a breath and closes her eyes, letting his soft strokes lull her back to sleep.

Once he knows she's fallen back to sleep, he pulls his hand back and drifts off to sleep again.

* * *

Cooper finds Charlotte in the kitchen in the morning, putting on a pot of coffee. He smiles and sneaks up behind her, gripping her hips, brushing her hair to the side, and pressing a kiss to her lips.

Charlotte jumps, letting out a soft frightful scream.

He backs off, sighing and realizing maybe that wasn't the best idea he's ever had because of what happened last night. "Sorry."

She swallows and turns around, facing him.

He sees that she's shaking, so he rests his hand on her chest and holds her hand. "It was just me." He drops his hands when he senses she's calmed down a little and gives her a soft peck on the lips. "I didn't even—I wasn't thinking." He pauses. "Can I make you breakfast? Or do you have to get to work?"

"You can make me breakfast." She smiles.

"Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? French toast? Feel free to stop me at anytime." He laughs.

"Waffles."

"Alright." He gets everything out, laying it all on the counter. "Betsey's being discharged today, so I was thinking maybe she could come home with us for a couple nights."

"Like a test run?"

"Um, maybe."

She sighs. Last night was the first night in a while that she's had a nightmare, but usually when she has one bad night, she has a few in row and the first night is typically mild compared to the others. "I don't know, Coop." She pauses. Aside from the nightmares, they're not ready for a child. They haven't had any time to prepare or make room for one.

"Think about it, ok? She's not getting discharged until later." He flips the waffle machine over and opens it. He takes out the waffle and sets it on a plate. He drizzles it with raspberry and maple syrup and sprinkles powdered sugar over top. He puts it in front of her and smiles.

She arches an eyebrow. "We're goin' all fancy this mornin', huh?"

He laughs and pours some more batter into the machine.

"Thank you."

He smiles. "You're welcome." In fifteen minutes, he's sitting beside her. He clinks his glass against hers and presses a kiss to her cheek. "Here's to a good day."

She turns her head and smiles. "Mmhmm."

She's still a little shaken from last night and he can tell. "You need a ride to the hospital?"

She shakes her head and pushes her plate forward. She gets off the stool and kisses his cheek. "I gotta run. Thank you again for breakfast." She smiles and walks around the island, setting her plate in the dishwasher and filling her thermos with coffee. "See ya later, Coop."

He waves, his mouth full of waffle. He swallows. "Bye." He coughs, choking on his breakfast. He quickly washes it down with orange juice and swallows again. "Bye," he repeats, clearer.

"You ok?"

He nods, coughing again. "Have a good day at work."

"You too." She disappears into the living room and heads out the door.

* * *

Charlotte comes home at lunch time. She needs a break from the day she's having. She sticks her key in the door and turns it. She slowly opens the door, realizing that it isn't locked. "Cooper?" She hesitantly steps into the living room and looks around, slowly shutting the door. She keeps her hand on the doorknob and swallows. "Cooper?"

Cooper comes out of the bathroom and smiles. "Hey."

Her shoulders drop as she lets out a gush of air.

"You ok?"

She nods. "It's just been one of those days."

"I'm glad you're home. I've got stuff to show you."

She glances at the coffee table and raises an eyebrow. "Are those colorin' books?"

He walks over to her and nods. "What kid doesn't like coloring books?"

She eyes him suspiciously.

He disappears into the kitchen and she follows him, curious. He opens the first door on the right and steps in. He flips on the light and smiles. "What do you think?"

She looks around the small space. She always assumed this door led into a closet. "What is all this?" There's a dollhouse in the corner, some stuffed animals thrown on the twin bed, and a bunch of horses and ponies near the window. "You made a room for Betsey?" She guesses and steps in farther.

He nods.

She runs her hand along the shelves against the wall and looks around again, taking in everything, including the pink, purple, and blue comforter, matching fuzzy pillow, and Disney princess blanket folded at the end of the bed. "When did you do this?"

"Today." He walks out of the room and into the kitchen. He proceeds to show her that he went grocery shopping, buying fruit snacks and spaghetti Os and other kid friendly foods like chicken nuggets.

She laughs.

"I've been doing some research and I printed out some information. Support group information, adoption agency brochures, adoption process brochures, and real-life stories of families who've adopted or fostered older children."

"You did all this today?"

"My only patient for the morning rescheduled, so I figured I'd look into more of the logistics of adoption." He pauses. "I realized that you're right. Adopting Betsey isn't like going to the pet store and buying a puppy. There's a lot to consider."

"Music to my ears."

He smiles. "I found a private adoption agency in LA and there's an orientation meeting tonight at 7:30. Basically we'll just learn more about adoption and all that. I think we should go."

She shrugs. "I guess it wouldn't hurt." She pauses. "But I'm not sayin' yes, yet."

He nods. "I know. There's no commitment yet." He pauses. "It's a little different because we know Betsey and we knew her parents, so after the meeting, if you decide—if we decide to go through with this, we'll call social services and talk to them about the specifics for our case."

"Give me the address and I'll meet you there."

He walks into the bedroom and opens his bedside drawer. He pulls out an orange folder and sifts through it. He pulls out a brochure and writes down the address on a post-it. He hands it to her and smiles.

She looks at it and her stomach twists a little. Even though they haven't committed to anything yet or even begun the actual adoption process, seeing the address of an adoption agency written out, suddenly makes this all real. It's not just random chatter anymore. They've got a plan and they're working towards it, checking boxes off and moving forward. It's scary.

"Do you want lunch?"

"I'm not really hungry. I just needed a break."

"Everything ok?"

She nods. "Just had a rough mornin' at the hospital."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe later."

He presses a warm, soft kiss on her cheek and smiles. "Is it about a patient?"

She nods.

"Well, I hope your day gets better."

She smiles, a half smile, and lets out a breath. "Me too, but I doubt it."

"I was gonna talk to the social worker tonight, the one who's coming to get Betsey from the hospital, and ask if she can stay with us for a couple days. I asked you this morning, but do you still need more time to think about it?"

She sighs. After the day she's had, her night's going to be even worse. She's been dealing with a patient who was raped all morning and it just brought everything back up to the surface. She sits on the couch and turns her head, looking up at him.

"What's wrong?" He sits on the coffee table and rests his hands on her knees, rubbing circles into their sides with his thumbs.

"I don't think it's a good idea, that's all."

"Any reason?" He pauses. "And I don't mean just that you're scared or nervous or something like that. I mean is there a bigger reason?"

She nods and sighs. "I had a nightmare last night, Cooper, and with the day I've been having, I'm goin' to have one tonight, and possibly tomorrow night too, and I just—it's not a good idea to have Betsey here."

He nods. "You don't have to worry about that, Char. If you have a nightmare, just worry about calming yourself down. If Betsey wakes up, I'll take care of that. I'll make sure she knows everything's ok. She's an eight year-old child, who's lost both her parents in horrific ways. She understands nightmares—those kinds of nightmares."

She stays silent for a couple minutes and shifts on the couch. She twists her body towards him finally and smiles. "Ok. Talk to the social worker."

He kisses her. He can't help it. "Really?"

She nods. "It's just temporary."

"Just relax and you'll be fine. It's like a sleepover. Do exactly what you did that day in her hospital room with the horses. You were a natural."

She sits on the couch for a minute or two and then stands up. "I have to get back to the hospital. I'll meet you at the meetin'. I'll call if I can't make it and you can just go without me, then."

He nods. "Try to make it."

"I will." She smiles and leaves the apartment.

* * *

_Hope you liked this chapter..._

_please review! Thanks. _


	6. Chapter 6

The meeting at the adoption agency lasts an hour and a half and on the drive back to the hospital, Charlotte's thoroughly regretting giving the ok for Cooper to talk to the social worker. She's been jumpy all afternoon. Even the rustling of the wind has been making her heart beat faster. Not only is she nervous about taking care of Betsey, but she's also trying to deal with lingering feelings of her assault, which she's been painfully reminded of a lot recently. She pulls on her seatbelt until it locks and nibbles on the inside of her lip.

Cooper pulls into St. Ambrose's parking lot and inches his car into a spot. He kills the engine and glances over at Charlotte. "Char, are you ok?"

Charlotte raises an eyebrow and turns her head. "Huh?"

"Everything ok?"

She nods. "Course. I'm just tired." She unbuckles her seatbelt and gets out of the car, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. She rubs her palms together and walks over to the curb. She tries to remind herself that she's just the babysitter. It doesn't seem so scary or intimidating when she puts it that way. She steps over to him and they walk into the hospital. "I need to grab somethin' from my office. Where are you gonna be?"

"I'll be in Betsey's room."

"Ok. I'll meet you in there." She disappears towards her office, her heart pounding as she makes her way down the hallway.

He sighs. She's been acting strange all day, but she's not talking, so he has no idea what's wrong. He's assuming she's nervous about having Betsey stay with them for the next few days, but he's not completely sure. He heads towards the elevator and rides it up to the pediatric floor.

* * *

By ten o'clock, Charlotte's back in the passenger seat, watching the trees, buildings, and various city lights blur, as they whiz past on the way to the loft.

Cooper glances in his rearview mirror, checking on Betsey who's asleep on his backseat. He turns his head, looking at Charlotte, and sighs. "Hey."

Charlotte turns her head and fakes a smile.

"It's ok to be nervous about having a kid in the house."

She sighs and fights off a yawn.

"Why don't you take a long shower when we get home? I'll put Betsey to bed and make sure she's comfortable. You look like you've had a long day."

She nods.

She's being too quiet for his liking. It's scaring him. She's not normally a talker, but she's eerily silence right now. He flicks on his blinker and turns the corner. "I love you."

She lets out a breath. "I'm ok, Coop."

"You're scaring me."

"I'm fine. Like I said earlier, it's just been one of those days."

He pulls into the parking garage and grabs his usual parking spot. "If it helps, think of us as Betsey's babysitters."

She laughs. _He read my mind. _She's a little comforted by that. Plus, she reminds herself she's not doing this alone, he's here. She gets out of the car and opens the back door. She gently nudges Betsey.

Betsey opens her eyes and stretches. She looks around, confused for a second, and then relaxes. "Are we home?"

She nods. "Hop out, kiddo."

Betsey unbuckles her seatbelt and gets out of the car. "My head hurts, Charlotte."

She grabs the little girl's hand and nods. "Let's go upstairs and then we'll give you your medicine."

Betsey nods and yawns, tightening her grip on Charlotte's hand.

Cooper smiles. _Charlotte's gonna be fine, _he thinks and then follows the two girls out of the parking structure.

* * *

Cooper's sitting up in bed when Charlotte walks out of the bathroom, a puff of steam trailing behind her. He smiles. "Feel better?"

Charlotte nods as she crawls into bed beside him. "A little."

He puts his magazine on the bedside table and tucks a piece of her damp hair behind her ear. "You wanna talk about your day?" He pauses. "I'll go first."

She urges him on and gets more comfortable.

"My patient, she's not going to wake up and her father," he swallows, "he wants to euthanize her. She's just a kid."

She blinks and shifts uncomfortably, fiddling with her wedding ring. "I've been dealin' with a patient," she wets her lips and looks down at her hands, "who was raped."

His shoulders drop and he twists his body more towards her. Suddenly, his day doesn't sound so bad. "Oh, sweetie."

She shakes her head. "Don't do that."

He sighs. "No wonder you've been so quiet." He reaches for her hand and brushes his thumb against her knuckles.

She looks at him and smiles, a thin layer of tears coating her eyes. "Is Betsey tucked in?" She asks, changing the subject as quick as she can.

He nods. "She's asleep."

"Good." She turns off the light and rolls onto her side. She pulls the sheets up and closes her eyes. She hopes she doesn't wake up screaming, but she won't be surprised if she does.

He leans over and presses a kiss to the side of her head. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Coop."

He runs his fingers through her hair and brushes his thumb against her cheek. "The real adventure starts tomorrow."

She opens her eyes and tilts her head, looking at him. "If I say I don't wanna do this, go through with the adoption—." She shakes her head. "Never mind." She rolls over, facing the bathroom and closes her eyes.

He lets it go and scoots closer to her. He kisses her on the shoulder and then closes his eyes, falling asleep shortly after.

It takes her a while, but she manages to drift off to sleep at a relatively decent hour.


	7. Chapter 7

It's exactly two in the morning, when the sheets start rustling, the mattress starts dipping, and the headboard starts banging against the bedroom wall. Jolts of adrenaline run through Charlotte's body as she thrashes around and her neck veins extend as she screams. She knocks her clock off the bedside table in the process, it falling to the floor and busting apart.

Cooper stirs and immediately sits up. He turns his body towards her and grabs hold of her shoulder, giving her a hard shove. "Charlotte." He gives her another one. "Charlotte, wake up." He looks up and his eye catches a small shadow. He faces the bedroom partition and sighs.

Charlotte settles back down and her eyes shoot open. She's panting now, sweat's dripping down her cheeks, and her body's trembling.

He looks at her and brushes her hair out of her eyes. "You're ok," he reassures. "Just breathe. I'll be right back," he says and stands up, walking over Betsey, who's now standing in the bedroom, clutching a ratty stuffed horse against her chest. He smoothes down her brown hair and smiles. "Let's get you back to bed."

Betsey looks around him and swallows. "Is Charlotte ok?"

He nods. "She will be." He guides the child out of the room and walks her back through the kitchen.

* * *

"Up you go." Cooper hoists Betsey up into the air and sets her down in her bed, pulling the sheets up to her neck.

Betsey giggles and settles back into bed. "What's wrong with Charlotte?" Betsey asks, shifting on the mattress.

He sits on the edge of the bed and twists his body towards her.

"Did she have a scary dream?"

He nods. "Uh-huh, a really scary one."

"Give her a glass of warm milk. When I had really scary dreams, my daddy used to give me a glass of warm milk and it helped."

He smiles. "I'll try that." He pauses. "You sleeping ok?"

She nods. "It's hot in here."

"I'll adjust the air."

"Cooper?"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Can I have a glass of water?" She pauses. "Please," she adds.

"Sure. I'll be right back." He stands up and heads into the kitchen. He comes back into the room with a glass of water. He sticks a pink straw in the drink and sets it on the nightstand.

"Thanks." Betsey sits up and grabs the glass, taking a few small sips.

He takes the glass from her and sets it back down. He gives her a kiss on the top of her head and turns off the light. "Sleep tight."

Betsey rolls onto her side and curls into a ball, hugging her horse close to her body. She closes her eyes and lets out a breath. "Warm milk, Cooper," she reminds him, just before falling back asleep.

He smiles and leaves her room, shutting the door. He adjusts the thermostat and stops off in the kitchen.

* * *

Cooper walks into his and Charlotte's bedroom and shuts the partition. He sighs, seeing her sitting up in bed, still a little shaken up. He hands her the glass of milk and kisses the top of her head. "Betsey says Dell used to give her a glass of warm milk when she had bad dreams. It helps, apparently."

Charlotte cracks a smile and turns her head, looking at him. "Thank you." She pauses to take a sip. She swallows and lets out a breath through her nose.

"You need anything?"

She shakes her head. "I'm ok." She finishes the milk and sets the empty glass on her nightstand. She slides down her pillows and rolls onto her side, letting her eyes fall shut again. She lies completely still, allowing her heartbeat and her breathing to return to their normal rhythms, and eventually her exhaustion takes over and she falls back asleep.

He sighs. He'll never get used to this—seeing his wife in this much pain and not being able to do anything to comfort her. He's grateful these nights are few and far between now, not like how they were right after her assault, but still, every time she wakes up screaming, it kills him.

She makes a noise as she sighs in her sleep, and rolls onto her back.

He smiles and crawls back into bed. He lowers his head and presses a kiss to her shoulder, running his finger down her arm. "Goodnight," he whispers, closing his eyes and falling back asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Charlotte's sitting at the kitchen island, stirring her coffee with a spoon. She turns her head and twists her mouth into a faint smile when Betsey walks in. "Good mornin'."

Betsey rubs her eyes and yawns.

"Are you hungry?"

Betsey nods, yawning again. "Uh-huh."

Charlotte slips off the stool and looks at the child. "What do you feel like havin'?" She pauses. "I can make you eggs and toast or there's cereal."

"What kind of cereal?"

Charlotte opens the pantry and pulls out the sliding drawer. "Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, or Honey Nut Cheerios."

"Cheerios."

Charlotte grabs the box and closes the pantry door. "Did I scare you this mornin'?" She asks, in the middle of pouring a bowl of cereal.

"Cooper said you were having a bad dream."

"I was."

"But you're ok now?"

"I'm ok."

"Was there a monster in your dream? There're always monsters in my bad dreams."

Charlotte sighs and nods. "Mmhmm."

"I don't like monster dreams."

"Me neither." Charlotte pours in the milk and slips a spoon in. She pushes the bowl towards the edge of the island and puts everything away.

Betsey gets up onto one of the stools and leans over, grabbing her spoon and shoveling the cereal into her mouth. "Where's Cooper?"

"Chew, swallow, and then speak."

Betsey swallows. "Where's Cooper?"

"He's in the shower. He'll be out soon." Charlotte sits back down and takes a sip of her now lukewarm coffee. "Does your head hurt?"

"Not right now."

"Let me know if and when it starts to, ok?"

Betsey nods. "Ok."

Charlotte smiles and takes another sip. As she sits at the island with Betsey, watching to the eight year-old eat her breakfast, a sense of calm washes over her. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all._

* * *

Charlotte's standing in the doorway of the kitchen, drinking a glass of iced tea, watching Betsey as she sits on the couch coloring. She feels Cooper slide up beside her and clink his glass against hers. She turns her head and smiles.

Cooper smiles back. "You ok?"

She nods. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He raises an eyebrow and tweaks part of his mouth upwards.

She sighs. "I'm fine."

He presses a kiss to her cheek and smiles. "Good." He pauses. "So why are we staring at Betsey?"

She laughs and gives him a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know." She pauses. "You didn't tell her—when you told her I had a nightmare, did you tell her what it was about?"

"Of course not, Charlotte."

She lets out a breath and leans against him a little.

"I didn't actually tell her anything. She asked me if you were having a scary dream and I said yes. I wouldn't tell her—I don't even wanna think about the reason you're having nightmares, so I'm not going to tell her the specifics. Besides, she's a child. It isn't her business."

Betsey turns her head. "Charlotte, come here. I wanna show you my picture."

Cooper squeezes her shoulder and kisses the side of her head before disappearing into the kitchen.

* * *

Charlotte walks over to Betsey and leans over the couch. "Show me."

Betsey tilts the computer paper up and smiles. "That's me riding a horse."

"Who's that other person?"

"You."

"Me?"

Betsey nods. "Uh-huh."

Charlotte blinks and swallows, sucking on her bottom lip. "That's, uh, that's a great drawing."

Betsey pats the cushion beside her. "Come sit." She pushes some paper to the side and sets the markers and crayons in the middle.

Charlotte walks around the couch and sinks down into the cushion. "Oh, you want me to color with you?"

Betsey nods. "Will you? Pleeeease?"

Charlotte smiles and nods. "I'll color with you, but I gotta warn ya, I'm not very good at it."

"You don't have to be good at it. You just gotta like doing it."

Charlotte picks up a purple marker and starts to draw something.

Cooper appears in the doorway of the kitchen again, his glass refilled, and he looks over at the couch. He can hear whispering and soft laughter from where he's standing and he can't help but smile. _She always worries for no reason. _He stands there, watching for a little bit longer, and then feeling left out, he walks over to the couch. "Can I join you two?"

Betsey turns her head and smiles. "Cooper!"

He smiles.

"Come sit."

He walks around the couch and sits on the other side of Betsey, accepting her paper and markers with a smile. "What's everyone drawing?"

"Can we put this picture in my room?"

He nods. "I assume that's you, but who's that other person?"

"That's Charlotte."

He glances over at his wife and then looks at Betsey. "I'll hang it up for you after we're done, how's that?"

"Sounds great." Betsey pauses. "What are you gonna draw?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. What should I draw?"

"A rainbow."

"Does this rainbow have a pot of gold?"

"Duh, Cooper. All rainbows have pots of gold."

"Right, duh." He laughs and grabs a red marker. "What are you drawing, Char?"

"A flower."

Betsey looks over and smiles. "Can we put that in my room too?"

Charlotte nods. "If you want." She gets up and squeezes Cooper's shoulder as she walks into the bedroom.

He turns around and then looks at Betsey. "I'll be right back. Keep coloring." He stands up and follows his wife into the bedroom, shutting the partition.

* * *

Charlotte sits on the edge of the bed and looks up at her husband.

Cooper raises an eyebrow. "You ok?"

She nods. "She's callin' it _her _room, Cooper."

"Yeah, so?"

She rolls her eyes. "You did tell her this was just temporary, didn't you?"

He doesn't say anything.

"Cooper."

He sighs.

"She's getting attached."

They just stare at each other for a good five minutes, saying everything they need to say with just a squint or a slight raise of an eyebrow.

Betsey opens the screen and looks at them. "Did I do something wrong?"

Cooper turns around and shakes his head. "No, sweetie. Go back into the living room. Charlotte and I will be right there."

Betsey nods. "I'm gonna go put the picture in my room." She pauses. "I love my new room, Cooper."

He smiles. "Go find out where you wanna put it and I'll come hang it up."

"I wanna stay here forever." Betsey disappears into the living to grab her picture.

"Cooper." Charlotte shifts on the mattress and leans forward, resting her head in her hands. "This is just great." She swallows.

"I'll tell her." He starts to walk towards the living room, but stops and turns around. "What exactly am I supposed to tell her?"

She shrugs. "You're askin' the wrong person, Coop." She pauses. "You should have just told her in the beginning that this was just a temporary arrangement."

"Yeah, you're one to talk."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, we both know you're _so_ great at being upfront with people."

She rolls her eyes. "If you're gonna be that way—it's your mess, so you fix it." She stands up and disappears into the bathroom. When she walks out, he's sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning all the way, so his back is flush with the mattress.

He turns his head when he hears the bathroom door open. "Please help."

She sighs. "Don't tell her anythin' yet. Give me some time to make my final decision. We can tell her together."

"Can you tell me what side you're leaning towards?"

She just smiles and that gets him to sit up straight and contort his body towards her. She doesn't need to say a thing.

"I'm gonna go hang up those pictures for Betsey." He stands up and gives her a soft peck on her cheek as he passes.

"Wait for me." She slips her hand in his and they walk into the living room, heading through the kitchen and into Betsey's room.

* * *

_Glad you like this story so far_

_:)_


	8. Chapter 8

Charlotte's sitting in her office at the practice, reading over her patient notes, while Betsey sits on the couch, drawing pictures and playing with her plastic ponies. They've enrolled her in school, but they're giving her another few days of recuperation. Her first day is Monday. Charlotte glances down at her phone when it starts to ring. She grabs it off her desk and stands up. "I'll be right back, Betsey." She walks over to the door and opens it, stepping into the hallway. She leans against the door and answers her phone. She lets out a breath after hanging up. She blinks slowly and jumps when she feels a presence beside her.

"You alright, Charlotte?"

She turns her head slowly and nods. "I'm fine, Amelia."

"Who was on the phone?"

Charlotte sighs. "No one important. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." She opens her office door, but quickly shuts it again, turning back to Amelia. "It was—." She swallows. "Nancy."

"I don't know who that is. Should I?" Amelia laughs.

"She's the social worker in charge of Betsey's case."

"Oh—oooh."

Charlotte nods. "She called to set up a time to pick up Betsey."

"And you told her—what?"

"I told her I had to call her back 'cause I didn't know Cooper's schedule."

Amelia crosses her arms over her chest. "You're stalling." She smiles.

"I am not. I really don't know Coop's schedule."

"Uh-huh, sure." Amelia pauses. "You're stalling," she repeats.

Cooper walks through the lobby doors and continues down the hallway towards his wife and colleague. "What're we discussing?"

"Charlotte got a call from the social worker about coming up with a time for her to come get Betsey and she told her she'd call her back," Amelia blurts out.

Cooper raises an eyebrow and twists his lips into a smile. "Does that mean you're saying you want to adopt Betsey?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes in Amelia's direction and sighs. "I don't know what it means, Coop."

"Amelia, can you give us a minute?"

"And miss the decision—no way."

"Amelia," he says again.

"Ok, fine." Amelia heads down the hallway and goes into her office.

Charlotte turns around and peers through the blinds, looking at the little girl sitting on her couch coloring.

He follows suit and hooks his arm around his wife's waist. He presses a kiss to her temple and smiles. "You know deep in your gut what you wanna do, Char. It's only a matter of saying it out loud."

She leans against him and loops her arm around him, clutching the fabric of his shirt in her hand. "Babysittin' her for a couple nights and raisin' her are completely different things, Coop. What if I—what if I can't do this—be a mother?"

"We've been more than her babysitters the last couple days and you know it." He pauses. "But to answer your question, I don't have any doubts that you'll be able to do this. I have absolutely no doubts that you won't be anything less than an amazing mother."

She tilts her head and looks at him, smiling. "You mean that?"

He closes the gap between their lips and slides his fingers through her hair. "I do," he says, pulling back. "So do you want to call back the social worker and set up a meeting time to discuss this or should I?"

She looks back at Betsey and sucks on her bottom lip as she thinks. She lets out a breath and without taking her eyes off of the child in her office, she says, "I'll do it."

He smiles and slides his hand up and down her side. "Are you sure you wanna do this? 'Cause once we start this, there's no going back."

She's silent for a few minutes, but then nods, turning her body towards him and looking right into his eyes. She smiles and gives him another reassuring nod. "I'm sure, Coop. Let's do this. Let's adopt Betsey."

He lowers his head and engulfs her mouth in a deep kiss. He steps back and smiles wider.

"Um, so when do you wanna talk to Nancy about this?"

"Anytime after three o'clock. We can discuss this over lunch in the cafeteria also. Just let me know after you get off of the phone."

"I'll see what works better for her."

Betsey looks up and sees them looking through the window. She hops off the couch and walks over to the door. She opens it and smiles.

Cooper looks at her. "Hey, kiddo, you want a snack?"

Betsey nods. "Uh-huh."

"Let's go to the kitchen and see what we can find. I bet there's a box of animal crackers or cookies hidden in those cabinets."

"Animal crackers!"

"Come on." Cooper and Betsey walk into the kitchen, leaving Charlotte standing in the hallway alone.

Amelia suddenly appears at her side. "So what'd you decide?"

Charlotte jumps and turns her heads. "Geez, Amelia."

"I scared you twice in one hour—that's a new record." Amelia pauses. "So—?"

Charlotte walks into her office and sits back down at her desk. "I don't have time to talk right now. I have to call back the social worker."

Amelia steps into the doorway. "And tell her what?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes. _She's not gonna let this go, is she? _"And ask her a few things about how to move forward with the adoption process."

Amelia squeals. She's a little happier about this than she probably ought to be. "I knew it."

"Don't you have patients?"

Amelia nods and heads back down to her office.

Charlotte leans back on her chair and redials her most recent call. She listens to the rings, thinking about what she's going to say to the social worker.

* * *

_Please review! _


	9. Chapter 9

Cooper walks into the living room and hears laughing. He's not surprised. It's not the first time he's heard the two of them giggling. He's come to expect it actually, but it still makes him smile. He pads over to the couch and peers over the tops of their heads. He notices they're doing a puzzle. They're not quite far enough along for him to make out what the picture is, so he walks around the couch and grabs the lid of the box, which is propped up so they can reference the picture as they put the puzzle together. He smiles. "Unicorns—always a good choice." He sets the box back down and sits down beside his wife. He grabs a piece and tries to put it in the puzzle.

Betsey slaps his hand away. "It doesn't go there, Cooper."

He puts his hands up in defense. "My bad."

"He's just tryin' to help, Betsey," Charlotte explains, running her fingers through Betsey's brown hair.

Betsey nods. "Sorry, Cooper."

"It's ok, kiddo."

Betsey tries to put in a piece, but it just won't go in. She turns it and presses down, but it still won't fit perfectly into the spot. She's been trying for over ten minutes to find this particular piece, so she's getting frustrated. She scrunches up the work they've already done and pushes everything off the coffee table. She jumps up and runs into her bedroom, slamming the door.

Charlotte blinks. "What just happened?"

He shrugs. "I don't know." He pauses. "I'll go talk to her."

Charlotte shakes her head. "Let me." She rests her hand on his thigh and uses it as leverage. She gives him a kiss on his cheek and heads through the kitchen.

* * *

Charlotte takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly as she knocks on Betsey's door. She waits for a response, and when she doesn't get one, she opens the door anyway. "Sweetie, is everythin' alright?" She shuts the door and makes her way over to the child, who's sitting on the floor playing with her ponies. She sits down and pushes the little girl's hair out of her face. "What's wrong?" She gets silence. She lifts Betsey's head and smiles at her. "Hey, can you tell me what happened out there?"

Betsey sniffles. "It wouldn't go in."

"The puzzle piece?"

Betsey nods.

"That's 'cause it didn't fit. There's another one that fits in that spot perfectly. We just gotta find it." Charlotte pauses. "You can talk to me. What's on your mind, sweetie?" She figures Betsey isn't just upset over one single puzzle piece. There's something else bothering her.

"My daddy wasn't very good at puzzles." Betsey laughs softly.

Charlotte squints and shifts on her knees. "Cooper isn't either. I don't think he's done very many puzzles." She sees Betsey nod and shudder a little, and she's suddenly kicking herself for even bringing that up. _That's gotta be it. _"Cooper puttin' that puzzle piece in the wrong spot reminded you of your daddy. You miss him, is that it?" _Violet's got nothin' on you._

Betsey looks at her and gives her another slow nod.

"I miss my daddy too," Charlotte admits, pulling the little girl closer to her. She sits on her butt and pulls Betsey onto her lap slightly.

Betsey rests her head on Charlotte's shoulder and holds onto her tight.

Charlotte's chest tightens when she feels the little girl shake against her. She's out of her element here, so she just takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, completing the embrace.

A couple minutes later, Betsey sniffles and drops her arms.

Charlotte smiles and brushes her thumb across Betsey's cheeks, wiping away her tears. "Why don't we go back in the livin' room, pick up the puzzle, and start over? We'll teach Cooper how it's done." She laughs.

"Charlotte?" Betsey starts, scooting off Charlotte's lap and standing up.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Are you gonna be my new mommy?" Betsey pauses. "Forever and ever?"

Charlotte swallows. She's not sure what to say. Right now, she and Cooper are just foster parents. The paperwork hasn't been finalized yet, which means a court date hasn't been set either. Plus, she's stuck on that one word—mommy. She hadn't truly thought about that or what that means. "I don't know." That's the truth. She doesn't know.

Betsey's face drops and her bottom lip begins to quiver again. "Oh, you don't want me either." She jumps on the bed and buries her small body in the sheets.

Charlotte sighs.

Cooper knocks on the door and opens it slowly. "Can I come in?"

"Go ahead. Maybe you'll have better luck with her."

He glances at the shaking mass under the covers and then looks back at his wife.

Charlotte ushers him out of the room and shuts the door. She leans against the wall and closes her eyes. Her breathing slows and she swallows.

"What's wrong?"

"Betsey asked if," she swallows harder, "if I was gonna be her new—." She blinks, taking a pause before adding, "Mommy."

He can't help but smile at that. "What'd you tell her?"

"That I didn't know." Charlotte sighs. "Then she muttered that I didn't want her either and crawled under the covers."

"Then you told her what?"

She doesn't answer right away. "What did you want me to say, Coop?"

"That you do want her, maybe? That would be the logical choice." His voice is elevated and threaded with anger.

She cringes slightly at his tone and sighs.

He calms down and looks at her. "Do you not want Betsey? Do you not wanna continue with the adoption? Because it's not too late. I can call the social worker and the lawyer and stop it before it reaches the courts."

She shakes her head. "The mommy thing threw me off a little, that's all. I wasn't expectin' it. I do want Betsey, Coop. I wanna keep movin' forward with the adoption. It's just—it's a little scary, knowin' that she'll be—I'll be her momma."

He pulls her from the wall and wraps his arms around her, kissing her forehead as she leans in to complete the hug.

She separates from him a minute later and opens the door, taking a peek at Betsey. She sighs and looks back at Cooper. "What am I s'posed to tell her?"

He shrugs.

"Real helpful, Coop. I'm so glad I can count on you."

He sighs. He squeezes her shoulders and kisses the side of her head. He thinks for a second and then nods. "Just tell her that things are complicated, that nothing is for sure, but we're working on making this permanent, her living here with us. Most importantly let her know that we do want her."

She nods. "That's better. Thank you."

He gives her another quick hug and nudges her towards the door. "Good luck."

"I'm gonna need it." She pushes open the bedroom door and steps into the room, walking over to the bed and coaxing Betsey out from under the covers. She sighs and looks at Cooper, who's looking at her through the door.

"You've got this, sweetie," he whispers and heads back into the living room.

She nods and watches the door click shut before turning back to Betsey.

* * *

_Please Review :)_


	10. Chapter 10

Cooper walks into the kitchen at work and immediately loosens his tie. He looks around and Violet is standing there, looking at him with a curious expression on her faces.

"So?" Violet says, continuing to stare at her best friend.

Cooper pours himself a cup of coffee and avoids her eager eyes.

She nudges him. "Come on, Cooper. Tell me. What happened in court this morning?"

Cooper turns his head and smiles. "The judge accepted the adoption order. All we have to do is sign some papers and it'll be official."

"We didn't doubt it for a second." She gives him a hug and smiles.

"We're telling Betsey tonight. Wish us luck."

"You won't need it, Cooper. She's been living with the two of you for almost three months now. She's comfortable. I've counseled a lot of kids who have gone through similar situations, and I've never seen a kid adjust so easily. She'll be excited. She's never had a stable home, so this'll be good for her."

He nods. "I'm just ready for the legal stuff to be over with. I don't want to have to worry about that side of all this anymore."

She nods her understanding. "One more step."

He smiles. "Yep." He adds milk and sugar to his coffee and takes a sip.

"How'd Charlotte react to the news?"

"She's usually very easy to read, but I honestly don't have a clue. She didn't react at all. I don't know if that's good or bad."

"She probably hasn't processed it yet. I'm sure you'll know exactly how she feels about it tonight when you guys tell Betsey."

"She's been quiet since we left the courthouse. When I dropped her off at the hospital after the hearing, all she said was 'bye and see ya later'. I'm not sure what her silence means."

"Don't worry about it, Coop. She's just processing."

"I hope you're right, Vi, because I kinda feel guilty about this whole thing. I feel like I pressured her into doing this. She was hesitant and I pushed her until she finally agreed to it." He sighs and sits at the counter. He sips his coffee slowly and swallows.

"I'm sure she wouldn't have agreed to go this far with it if she didn't actually want to. She knew what all this would lead to. She had to have known that." Violet pauses. "Besides, have you ever known Charlotte to do something she didn't want to do, Cooper?"

"No, I guess not, but I feel like I gave her no choice." He sighs and stirs his coffee with the tiny black straw. Soon, he's sitting in the kitchen by himself, left to think about how he and Charlotte will break the news to Betsey later tonight.

* * *

It's almost eight and Cooper's sitting on the floor, letting Betsey paint his nails. He turns his head when he hears a key jiggle in the lock.

The door opens a few seconds later and Charlotte walks through it.

Betsey jumps up and runs over to her, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. "Charlotte!"

Charlotte blinks. "Well, hi there, sweetie." She runs her hand through Betsey's brown hair and walks over to the desk. She sets her bag and coat down and tilts her head when Cooper presses a soft kiss to her cheek. She smiles. "Hi to you too, Coop." She looks down at notices his bright pink nail polish and tries to hold back a laugh. "Nice nails."

He twists his mouth and swallows. "Betsey painted them for me."

"They're beautiful, Coop. I love the pink." Charlotte bites on her bottom lip to keep herself from busting out laughing.

"So are we gonna do this? Tell her about what happened in court this morning?"

"I'm kinda tired. Do you think this can wait until tomorrow? I've had a long day."

He sighs. "We agreed to do it tonight."

"Things change, Cooper." Charlotte yawns and disappears into the bathroom.

He looks at Betsey, who had run back over to the couch. "Come on, Betsey. Let's get you tucked in and I'll read you a story."

"I want Charlotte to do it."

"She's kind of tired tonight. Would it be ok if I did it?"

"But I want Charlotte to do it." Betsey pouts.

He sighs. "She'll tuck you in and read to you tomorrow night." He scoops the eight year-old up into his arms and tickles her.

Betsey squirms and giggles.

He stops and carries her back to her bedroom, the child draped over his shoulder. After she's settled under the sheets, asleep, he walks through the kitchen and into his bedroom.

* * *

Charlotte's in bed already, reading a book, when Cooper gets back.

Cooper smiles and crawls into bed beside her. He tugs on her pajama shirt and waits for her to turn her head away from the page. "Are you ok?"

She nods. "I'm fine." Her eyes fall back to her book.

"Hey."

She closes her book, leaving her thumb in between to keep her place, and looks at him. "What?"

"What's going on with you? Since this morning, you've been acting strange. I don't doubt that you're exhausted or that you had a long day, but you're sitting up in bed, reading a book, so I know you're not too tired to talk to Betsey about what happened in court. You've been silent all damn day. So what's wrong?"

She swallows.

He brushes his thumb against the back of her hand and nudges her.

"I'm just a little nervous. This is real now. Once we sign those papers, Betsey's ours. She'll have your last name, she'll be our daughter, she's our responsibility. It's a lot to digest." She pauses. "We'll talk to Betsey tomorrow. I promise."

He scoots closer to him, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "The only thing that's different now is that it's official. She's been our responsibility for the past two and a half months, Char. You've been her mother and I've been her father. Whether or not you chose to think of it like that, that's how it's been. We've been her parents this entire time."

She lets out a breath and rests her hand on his cheek as she leans in to kiss him on the lips. She puts her book on the nightstand and wraps her arms around him, snuggling in close and resting her head on his shoulder.

He kisses the top of her head and hooks his arm around her, slipping his hand under her shirt and running it up and down her side slowly.

The partition slides open suddenly and Betsey pads in. She stands at the foot of the bed. "Charlotte?"

Charlotte separates from Cooper and sits up. "Everythin' alright, Betsey?"

Betsey shakes her head. "I had a bad dream that a monster was gonna take me away." She climbs onto the bed and crawls over to the pillow, squeezing her small body in between the two adults. She nuzzles into Charlotte's side and looks at her.

Charlotte loops her arm around her and sighs. "Don't worry, sweet pea. No monsters are gonna take you away from us."

He gets out of bed and disappears into the bathroom, leaving the two of them alone.

Betsey tightens her grip around the blonde. "Are you sure?"

Charlotte nods. "I'm positive."

Betsey smiles and closes her eyes. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Charlotte nods. "I guess that'll be ok."

Betsey's scoots closer to her and drifts back to sleep within minutes.

Cooper comes back into the bedroom and glances at the two of them intertwined. He smiles and shuts off Charlotte's bedside lamp. He walks around the bed and gets under the sheets, switching off his light next. He brushes his hand against his wife's and smiles at her above Betsey's head. "Goodnight," he whispers.

"Goodnight," Charlotte slurs. She's exhausted. She shifts, getting more comfortable, and lets out a breath.

He closes his eyes and pulls the sheets up over Betsey, sort of tucking her in. He falls asleep shortly after that.

Charlotte stays awake for a couple hours, not being able to fall asleep. Eventually, her insomnia becomes no match for her exhaustion and she passes out, her arm still around Betsey.

* * *

_Please review :D_


	11. Chapter 11

Charlotte's sitting on the couch with Betsey sitting on the floor between her legs with her back pressed up against the couch. "Betsey, keep your head still," Charlotte says, as she continues to braid the eight-year-old's hair.

"Sorry," Betsey whispers, sighing.

"It's ok, sweetie. I'm not mad."

Betsey nods. "Oops, sorry."

Charlotte laughs. "Again, it's ok. Just try and keep still for me. I'm almost done."

The door opens and Cooper walks into the loft.

Betsey turns her head at the sound and jumps up, running over to Cooper. "Cooper!" She wraps her arms around him and tilts her head back, smiling up at him.

Cooper smiles. "Hey, I got milkshakes."

"Yay!"

Charlotte sighs.

Betsey turns around and her eyes widen. "Sorry," she repeats. "I'll stay still this time."

Charlotte pushes herself off the couch and pads over to the two of them. She undoes the braid she just spent the last five minutes doing and combs her fingers through Betsey's hair. "Have your milkshake, and after your shower, I'll braid your hair."

"Are you mad now?"

Charlotte shakes her head. "No." She kisses the top of Betsey's head and heads into the bedroom.

"I think she's mad." Betsey sighs and hangs her head.

Cooper smiles at her. "I doubt it." He walks over to the coffee table. "Vanilla for you, strawberry for me, and chocolate for Charlotte if she wants one."

Betsey sits on her knees on the floor and pokes the straw through the lid. She takes a sip and smiles. "Thanks, Cooper."

"You're welcome."

Charlotte comes out of the bathroom and stands in the doorway of the bedroom. She smiles. "There better be one of those shakes for me."

Betsey turns her head. "There's a chocolate one."

"My favorite." Charlotte walks back over to the couch and sits down beside Betsey.

"I wasn't sure if you were gonna want one, but I got you a milkshake anyway, just in case."

"Good thing you did, then." Charlotte smiles at her husband and takes a sip.

"How was your day?"

"It's been busy, but I'm not complainin'," Charlotte says, in between sips.

"And how was yours, Miss Betsey?"

Betsey puts her cup down. "It was good, Cooper. I got a note in my lunch today."

Cooper glances over at Charlotte and raises an eyebrow.

Charlotte smiles at him and nods.

"Did it brighten your day?"

Betsey nods. "It made Brianna jealous, but it's ok. I shared my pudding with her and she was my friend again."

Cooper laughs. "I'm glad."

"Did you have a good day, Cooper?" Betsey asks, looking at him as she pops the lid off her cup and starts eating the shake with a spoon.

Cooper nods. "I did."

Charlotte hands Betsey a napkin. "Wipe your mouth, please, sweetie."

Betsey does as she's asked and then continues eating. "Mmmm. I love milkshakes."

"Me too," Cooper agrees. "So what did your note say?"

"It said, 'Have a great day'," Betsey answers, shifting so she's sitting on her butt. "There was a smiley face and it was signed 'Love, Momma.'"

Cooper coughs, choking on his milkshake. He swallows and looks over at Charlotte, who's making it a point not to meet his eyes. He smiles and blinks back tears. The note definitely took him by surprise, but the 'Love, Momma' really shocked him. He wasn't expecting that. "I wish I got notes like that in my lunch."

Betsey smiles.

Cooper looks above her head at Charlotte again, smiling at her. "I love you," he mouths.

Charlotte tweaks an eyebrow and stares at him as she drinks her milkshake, a smile on her face.

He leans forward and sits down on the rug fully. He spends the next hour drinking milkshakes with his two favorite girls. _This is the life._

* * *

_**Author's note:** Mason will be introduced in the next chapter. _

_As always, please review :)_


	12. Chapter 12

A couple days later, Cooper wakes up to find he's lying in bed alone. It doesn't really surprise him, but he doesn't hear the shower running. Charlotte usually wakes up before him and is in the shower by the time he gets up, so the fact that the bathroom door is open and the room is dark does surprises him. He rubs his eyes and sits up slowly. "Charlotte?" He pulls back the covers and rolls out of bed. He pulls on a pair of basketball shorts, seeing as walking around in a shirt and boxer briefs isn't exactly appropriate with a child in the house, and walks through the slightly open partition into the living room. He sees Charlotte's purse and briefcase on the desk, so he figures out that she hasn't left for work yet, but that doesn't solve the mystery—where is she? He walks into the kitchen and it's empty. There's only one more place she could be—Betsey's room. He walks out of the kitchen and pushes open the door to the eight year-old's bedroom. He steps in and smiles. _Found her. _

Charlotte stirs and opens her eyes. She groans, stretching her body, and yawns. She sits up slowly, untangling the sleeping child from around her. She doesn't even notice that Cooper's standing there by the bookshelf looking at her. She runs her fingers through Betsey's hair and then presses her hand against the little girl's forehead. She sighs and nearly jumps when she finally sees Cooper's shadowy figure a few feet away. "What the hell, Cooper?"

He pouts. "Sorry." He pauses. "What are you doing in here?"

She quietly and carefully removes herself from the bed and pulls the covers over the still sleeping child. She walks over to Cooper and sighs. "Betsey's got a fever. She came in the bedroom at around four this mornin', complainin' of a stomachache."

"I didn't know."

She nods. "That's 'cause she woke me up, not you."

"Oh."

She rolls out her neck and rubs her eyes.

"Tired?"

She nods. "Betsey was up all night vomitin', so I didn't get much sleep."

He sighs. "Do you want me to stay home with her today?"

She shakes her head. "I can do it."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Coop. It's not a big deal. Of all the days Betsey could have gotten sick, today's the perfect one. I don't have any major meetins goin' on today. I have one, but that can easily be rescheduled."

"What about your patients?"

"I've only got three patients on my schedule for today. I'm just goin' to reschedule two of 'em and refer the third one to another doctor in the hospital. Like I said, it's no big deal. I can stay home with her."

He smiles. "Look at you being all momma-like," he jokes, giving her a kiss on the lips.

"Besides, she asked me to stay home with her."

"I see how it is then. I'm only good for milkshakes."

She smiles. "You know that's not true." She leans against him, hooking her arm around him. She glances at Betsey and sighs. "She was miserable last night."

Betsey rolls over and opens her eyes. "Charlotte?" She croaks out. "Momma?"

Charlotte can't help but smile. It's small and barely visible, but it's there and it's genuine. "I'm right here, sweetie." She sits on the edge of the mattress and brushes Betsey's damp hair out of her eyes. "You feelin' any better?"

Betsey shakes her head and groans. "No," she says, her voice raspy and quiet.

Charlotte sighs. "I'll go get you some medicine." She starts to walk towards the door, but stops and turns back when she hears the rustling of sheets.

"Wait." Betsey gets out of bed, wobbling a little. She walks slowly over to Charlotte and looks up at her. "I've gotta go to the bathroom." She stumbles forward and grabs onto Charlotte's pajama pants.

Charlotte finds herself scooping the eight year-old up into her arms and carrying her to the bathroom.

Cooper smiles and walks out of the room, heading into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee.

* * *

Charlotte walks into the living room and gets Betsey settled on the couch. "Try and sleep, sweet pea. If you think you're gonna get sick, use this," she says, moving a wastebasket closer to the couch.

"Are you staying home?" Betsey asks, out of breath.

Charlotte nods. "I'll be here if you need anythin' and I'm sure Cooper's gonna stop by at lunchtime and check on you—on us."

Betsey attempts to smile, but only manages to purse her lips into a line. She curls into a ball and closes her eyes, letting out a breath.

Charlotte adjusts the blanket and then walks into the kitchen. She sits at the island and smiles at Cooper as he sets a mug of coffee in front of her. "Thank you."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home with her?"

"You don't think I can take care of a sick child? Is that it?"

He sighs. "That's not what I'm saying, Char."

"I can handle this, Coop. She wants me to stay, so I'm gonna stay with her and take care of her today. So feel free to stay home if you want, but that doesn't change the fact that I won't be goin' into work today."

He nods. "I know you can handle taking care of her, Char. That is not what I was implying. I just know how much you hate missing work for whatever the reason, so I was offering to stay so you could go to work. That's all."

She nods. "Then thank you for offerin', but I'm still gonna stay home today. She asked me to," she repeats.

He smiles. "I'll come by or call at lunchtime and see how you're both doing."

"I already told her you would." She pauses. "Now, go get ready for work or you'll be late."

"I think this whole momma thing has gone to your head," he teases.

She rolls her eyes.

He walks out of the kitchen and heads into the bedroom.

She finishes her coffee and eats a couple pieces of toast before walking into the living room to check on Betsey.

* * *

Charlotte's sitting on the couch, running her fingers through Betsey's brown hair, as the eight year-old lies beside her, her head in the blonde's lap. Charlotte smiles down at the child. "How're you feelin', sweetie?"

Betsey just shrugs one shoulder and shifts on the couch. She groans and throws her head over the edge, vomit spewing from her mouth into the trashcan.

Charlotte sighs. She holds Betsey's hair out the way and rubs up and down across the little girl's nightgown, focusing on the middle of her back and in between her shoulder blades. "You're ok," she whispers.

Betsey lifts her head and curls into a ball against Charlotte's side, hooking her arm around the blonde's. She shivers and twists her mouth when she swallows.

Charlotte carefully reaches for the cup of Pedialyte on the coffee table and hands it to Betsey, nudging her gently. "Drink, please."

Betsey grips the cup and struggles to get the straw into her mouth. She clings to Charlotte as she sucks up the rest of the electrolyte juice. She burps and giggles softly.

"Excuse you."

Betsey smiles. "Excuse me, momma."

Charlotte nods. She sets the empty cup back down on the coffee table and hooks her arm around Betsey. Not even a minute later, her phone rings beside her and she glances down at it. She sighs and carefully separates herself from the little girl. She gets her settled back down on the couch, tucking a blanket around her, before grabbing her phone. "I'll be right back. I've gotta take this."

Betsey nods and hugs her stuffed animal, closing her eyes again.

Charlotte smiles and heads into the kitchen. She told her staff that she wasn't coming into work today, but that doesn't stop them from calling her. When she comes back out, Betsey's not on the couch. "Betsey?" She walks into the bedroom and sees light peek out from the bathroom door. She pads over to the bathroom and knocks on the door. "Everythin' ok, sweet pea?" She hears a faint confirmation from Betsey, so she goes back into the living room to wait.

Betsey makes her way over to the couch, trying not to fall over. She climbs back up onto the cushions and lies down, her head in Charlotte's lap.

Charlotte pulls the blanket over the child and strokes her hair.

"My tummy hurts."

"I know, darlin'." Charlotte drapes her arm over Betsey and gently rubs her stomach. "Close your eyes."

Betsey lets her eyes fall shut and hugs her stuffed animal tighter against her chest.

"Did your daddy do anythin' special for ya when you were sick?"

"We'd watch the _Little Mermaid._"

"Do you wanna watch it with me?"

Betsey sits up slowly and nods, smiling weakly at the blonde.

"Sit tight. I'll go get the DVD." Charlotte slips off the couch and heads into the bedroom. She sits on the floor and opens up the TV cabinet. She searches through the collection of DVDs, a mixture of hers, Cooper's, and Betsey's, and grabs the _Little Mermaid. _She comes back into the living room and pops the movie into the DVD player. She sits down on the couch again and is about to fast-forward through the previews when Betsey stops her.

"The previews are the best part."

"I like 'em too, just thought you'd wanna get to the movie faster."

Betsey shakes her head. "Me and my daddy used to watch them all the time."

Charlotte nods. "Then you and I are gonna sit here and watch them." She smiles and gives Betsey a kiss on the top of her head. She shifts, getting more comfortable, and wraps her arm around the little girl when she nuzzles into the blonde's side.

Betsey lets out a breath mixed with a hum and a yawn.

Charlotte presses the back of her hand against Betsey's forehead and nods. "Your fever's comin' down. That's good." She smiles and turns her head back to the TV screen.

Betsey scoots closer to her and smiles.

Charlotte glances down at the child and lets out a breath. When Cooper first brought up the idea of adopting Betsey, she was hesitant and thought he had clearly lost his marbles, but right now, she's glad they did. She doesn't even want to think about where Betsey would be right now if they hadn't. Her eyes go back to the TV and they spend the next two hours watching the _Little_ _Mermaid_.

* * *

Cooper unlocks the door to the loft at around noon and slowly opens it. He steps into the living room and shuts the door, leaning against it slightly, swallowing. He sets his keys and bag down and glances at the couch.

Charlotte turns her head and smiles. "Hey."

He nods. "Hey. How's Betsey?"

"She's doin' a little better. She's asleep now."

"Everything good here?"

She nods. "We're fine. We just got finished watchin' the _Little Mermaid._"

"The _Little Mermaid, _huh?" He jokes.

She rolls her eyes. "I asked her if Dell used to do anythin' special when she was sick. I thought if I did somethin' he used to do for her, it would make her feel better. She said she and her daddy used to watch that movie all the time, so that's what we did."

He smiles. "Good thinking." He pauses. "I need to talk to you about something."

She eyes him suspiciously. "Talk to me about what?"

He looks at Betsey and then motions for Charlotte to follow him into the bedroom.

She obliges, and soon she's sitting on the edge of the bed, looking up at him. She swallows and feels the knot in her stomach tighten with each second of silence. "Just spit it out, Cooper."

His face softens and his lips curve upwards into somewhat of a smile.

Now she's just confused. She was bracing herself for bad news, but his smile is making her rethink her assumption. "What is it, Cooper?" She tries again. His silence, mixed with his smile, is completely unnerving.

He practiced what he was going to say to her on the drive home, practiced how he was going to tell her his big news, but his mind has suddenly blanked. He swallows and blinks slowly. He knows she's getting anxious, so he just spits out the first thing that comes to his mind. "I have a son."

* * *

_**Author's Note:** __Mason's going to be part of this story (sorry for those who don't like him), but he's not going to be as prominent as he is on the show. The rest of this story will mainly be about how Charlotte, Cooper, and Betsey adjust to having Mason in their lives and vice-versa. He's not going to be in every single chapter. I wrote this story because I like the idea that Mason and Betsey have something in common (they've both lost a parent...or two in Betsey's case), so I thought it would be interesting to put them both in one story. _

_Anyway, please review. _


	13. Chapter 13

Charlotte just sits there on the edge of the bed, her hands finding their way together. She takes in a deep breath and blinks. She couldn't have possibly heard him correctly, so she looks up at him and raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Cooper shifts his weight and fiddles with the buttons on his shirt. "He's eight."

That gives her some relief—some being the keyword. She's about to interrupt him, but then she hears Betsey's hushed 'Momma'. She stands up and looks at Cooper. "We'll get back to this conversation in a minute." She pushes past him and walks over to the couch. "Hey, sleepyhead."

Betsey sits up slowly and coughs.

Charlotte presses her hand against the little girl's forehead and then her cheek. "Sit tight. I'm gonna go get the thermometer." She breezes past Cooper again and grabs the thermometer from the bathroom. She comes back out, heading over to the couch again. She slips the tip under Betsey's tongue. "Now, don't move, don't talk, and try not to move your tongue." She pauses and adds, "Please." After hearing the double beep, she pulls the thermometer out and reads the display. "101.3. That's a good sign."

Betsey blinks slowly, unable to keep her eyes open for longer than a few seconds.

"I'll go get you a freezer pop." Charlotte walks into the kitchen and opens the freezer.

Cooper follows her and stands at the counter, watching her. "Char—."

Charlotte holds up her hand as she walks towards the living room. "Not now, Cooper." She pads over to the couch and sits down beside Betsey, pushing up on the cherry flavored ice and handing it to the child. "Suck on this. You'll feel better, I promise."

Betsey adjusts the napkin around the plastic wrapper and sucks on the ice. She smiles. "Thanks, momma."

Charlotte pulls Betsey's hair out of her face and smiles. "You're welcome, sweet pea." She glances behind her and notices Cooper standing in the opening to the bedroom. She pats Betsey on the top of her head and stands up. She walks around the couch and heads into the bedroom, yanking Cooper with her.

* * *

Charlotte shuts the partition and blinks. "Did you at least take a paternity test?"

He sits on the edge of the bed and twists his mouth.

She swallows and rolls her eyes. "So a woman shows up tellin' you that you're the father of her eight year-old child, and you," she shifts, "just take her word for it?"

He looks away from her.

"You're an idiot."

He blinks.

"You didn't think things through when you brought up the idea of adoptin' Betsey, and today you came home to tell me that you ran into a woman who claims you're her son's daddy and you believed her without takin' a paternity test. I married an idiot."

He grunts.

She shakes her head and goes into the living room.

* * *

Cooper sighs and follows his wife.

"Cooper!" Betsey sits up and smiles. "Hi."

He smiles back. "Hey, there, kiddo. How're you feeling?"

"I don't feel good."

"Still?"

Betsey nods. "But momma's good company."

He smiles, looking towards Charlotte. "I'm sure she's taking real good care of you." He pauses. "Well, I have to get back to work, but I'll be home later."

"Ok."

He gives her a kiss on the top of her head and steps closer to Charlotte. He smiles and lets out a breath. "I'll do the test," he whispers and leaves the loft, heading back to work.

"What test does he have to do? Like a math test?"

Charlotte shakes her head. "More like science." She scoots closer to the eight year-old and smiles. "How's your ice pop?"

"Delicious." Betsey licks her lips and sucks on the flavored ice. She shivers and wraps herself in the blanket. She yawns and continues to eat.

"Use your napkin, sweet pea."

Betsey nods and wipes her mouth.

Charlotte spends the rest of the afternoon sitting with Betsey on the couch, trying to think of something other than the very likely possibility of her husband having a kid with another woman.

* * *

**_Please review!_**


	14. Chapter 14

It's been a week since Cooper told Charlotte about Mason. She's currently sitting on the floor in Betsey's room, leaning against the bookshelf, watching the little girl sleep. She sighs and turns her head when she hears footsteps. She looks up and half smiles.

Cooper looks down at her. "What're you doing in here?" He whispers, glancing at Betsey.

"Just thinkin'."

"Can I join you?"

"Thought you'd be with your kid."

"Please, don't be like this, Char." He gets on the floor and twists his body so he's facing her. "Please." He pauses. "This doesn't have to be a bad thing, but you keep making it into one."

She rolls her eyes.

He sighs.

She scoots closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder. "I just don't want things to change."

He blinks. "What are you talking about?"

She lifts her head, meeting his gaze, and sighs. "I don't want kids and now this woman shows up with your biological son, and I just—I don't want you to stop lovin' me 'cause she gave you somethin' I don't want to give you."

He leans forward and presses his lips against hers, grabbing her hand as he kisses her. He pulls back and gives her another soft peck, his lips barely touching hers. "It's not like that, Char." He pauses. "I love you. I love you so much. Please, just give him a chance."

She rests her other hand on top of their already clasped ones and lets out a breath as she leans farther into him. Her head turns and she looks at Betsey again. "Do you think Mason and Betsey will get along?"

"There's only one way to find out for sure." He pauses. "I'll talk to Erica and see what day works best for them."

She nods. "Do you think he'll like me?"

He turns her head towards him and closes the gap between their lips. He smiles as he breaks the kiss. "He's basically me, so of course he will."

She laughs.

"Are we ok?"

She nods. "We're fine." She wraps her arms around him and nuzzles into his side.

He hooks his arm around her waist and kisses the top of her head. "You do realize we're still on the floor in Betsey's room, right?"

"I know." She pauses. "Coop?" She starts, lifting her head off his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Never mind."

He nudges her. "No, tell me."

She sighs and looks at Betsey. "She's your kid too, don't forget that."

"I won't."

"She's just been through a lot and I don't want to see her get hurt."

He smiles and slides his hand up and down her side.

She looks at him and smiles faintly, skimming her finger along his jaw line.

His lips lightly touch hers in a soft, warm kiss. He pulls back and smiles. "And you didn't even wanna adopt Betsey."

She slaps him. "Shut up, Cooper."

He smirks. "Let's go to bed."

She nods.

He stands up and offers her his hand.

She grabs hold of it and pushes herself up. She walks over to the bed and fixes the covers, tucking in Betsey a little more. She leans down and kisses the sleeping child on the forehead. "Goodnight, sweetie," she whispers and walks back over to Cooper. She takes his hand and leans against him as they head to their bedroom.

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_The next chapter will be all about Mason meeting Betsey and Charlotte for the first time (so yes, that means Mason will actually be in the next chapter) _

_And as you can see, I'm not following the story-line exactly, not even that closely. Charlotte never offered Erica the 20,000 dollars like she did on the show and Cooper's not going to be as much of an ass to Charlotte as he was last season, but Erica still has a brain tumor and she'll still die in this story (just not the way she did on the show)_

_Anyway, please review!_


	15. Chapter 15

Almost a week later, Charlotte's sitting on the couch, staring at her glass of water. She's a little nervous, and justifiably so. Mason's coming over tonight and it's going to be the first time she's met him, the first time he's meeting her and Betsey. She takes a sip of her water as she waits for Cooper to get home. She shifts on the couch and leans forward, setting her glass down on the coffee table. She glances at her phone and then lets out a deep breath. She hears the jiggle of a key in the lock and hears giggling on the other side of the door. _Here we go. _She turns her head when the door opens.

"I told you to go to the bathroom before we left the office," Cooper says, walking into the loft and setting his stuff down.

"I didn't have to go before we left. Duh," Mason manages to spit out before he makes a run for the only bathroom.

Cooper shuts and locks the door and looks at Charlotte. He smiles and pads over to the couch, sitting on the coffee table. "Hey."

She smiles back. "Hey." She pauses. "How was your day?"

"Good. Mason and I spent his day off building stuff out of tongue depressors."

"Sounds like fun."

"How was your day?"

"Well, my day pretty much sucked. It was long and I'm really glad it's over."

He sighs. "Amelia?"

She nods. "Among other things."

"We're gonna have so much fun tonight."

"Mmhmm."

He sits on the couch beside her and presses a kiss to her cheek. "I was hoping for a little more enthusiasm, Char."

"This is all the enthusiasm you're gonna get outta me."

"What's wrong?"

She shrugs. "Nothin'."

He smirks. "I think I know what's wrong." He pauses. "You're nervous."

"I am not."

"Are too." He smiles at her.

"What are you five?" She sighs. "Ok, fine, maybe I am a little nervous."

"You don't have to be."

"Well, I am."

He sighs. "It'll be fine. Just relax." He stands up when he hears footsteps behind him. He turns around and smiles. "Hey, Mason, there are two people I'd like you to meet."

Mason walks over to the couch and stands beside his dad.

Cooper runs his fingers through his son's brown hair and smiles. "Charlotte, Mason. Mason, Charlotte."

Mason waves. "Hey."

Charlotte offers the boy a faint smile. "Hey."

"I saw your picture in my dad's office. You're his wife, right?"

Charlotte nods. "I am indeed."

"Prettier in person." Mason smiles.

Charlotte lets a soft laugh escape. She looks at Cooper and raises an eyebrow.

Cooper shrugs, letting her know he had nothing to do with what came out of his son's mouth. "Where's Betsey?"

"In her room. I'll go get her." Charlotte heads through the kitchen and knocks on Betsey's bedroom door. When she comes back into the living room, she has a little girl trailing behind her.

Betsey appears from behind Charlotte and looks between Cooper and Mason. She blinks. "Hi."

Cooper nudges Mason and the eight year-old steps forward. "Hi. I'm Mason."

Betsey smiles. "I'm Betsey."

Mason smiles back.

"Alright, enough flirting, Mase. Let's set up this Wii."

Mason twists his mouth. "Ew, gross."

Cooper messes up his son's hair and walks over to the TV. He looks at Charlotte. "You up for some Wii tennis?"

Charlotte lets out a breath, her shoulders dropping. "I'll sit the first round out."

"You really wanna watch me cream an eight year-old?"

"I think you're a little confused, dad. She's gonna watch you get creamed by an eight year-old."

"We'll see about that." Cooper stands up and moves the couch and coffee table out of the way.

Charlotte sits down and pats the cushion beside her. "Come here, Betsey."

Betsey hops up beside Charlotte and leans against her, turning her head towards Cooper and Mason. "Hi, Cooper! I forgot to say that before."

Cooper laughs. "Hi, sweetie."

Betsey looks at Charlotte and whispers, "Is Mason really my brother?"

"Somethin' like that, yeah."

Betsey shudders.

"What's wrong, sweet pea?"

"Is he gonna—he's not gonna hurt me, is he?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"My last brother pushed me around a lot."

Charlotte nods. "Don't worry. Mason won't do that. I'm sure of it."

Betsey relaxes and turns her focus to the TV, where a heated game of Wii Tennis is taking place.

* * *

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	16. Chapter 16

With Betsey asleep in her room and Mason passed out on the living room couch, Charlotte heads into the kitchen. She just needs a minute to herself. She leans against the counter and closes her eyes.

Cooper walks in and looks at her. "Char?" He steps closer to her and squeezes her shoulder. "Sweetie?"

She blinks her eyes open and looks at her husband.

"What's wrong?"

"Aside from Betsey being scared that Mason's gonna hurt her?"

"We'll get back to that later, but yeah. You left, and when you came back, you were all jumpy and not present."

She sighs. "It's Amelia. She set off the alarm at the practice, so I had to go and tell the police that she wasn't breakin' in to the place. I didn't think it was this bad."

"What was this bad?"

"Um—."

"You can tell me. I'm your husband, so people can't expect you to keep their secrets from me."

She sighs. "She's doin' drugs, takin' pills again. She was at the practice gettin' her prescription pad to, uh, write her own prescriptions."

"So what are you gonna do? Are you gonna tell Addison?"

"I should. I think I need to tell everyone now that I know how bad it is. I can't help her by myself, maybe Addison or Sheldon or somebody can get through to her, maybe together we can."

He nods. "I'm sure it'll be ok. I'm sure she'll be ok. She got clean once, she can get clean again."

"It's not that simple, Coop."

"You would know."

"What's that s'posed to mean?"

He sighs. "Char."

"Sorry. I'm just a little on edge."

"A little?"

She glares at him.

He presses a kiss to her cheek. "Ok, so tell me about the Betsey-Mason thing?"

"Didn't you notice that she was avoiding him all night? They barely spoke to each other. She was practically glued to me or the arm of the couch the whole time."

"I didn't really notice. I mean, I noticed that they weren't really talking, but I just figured it was because this is the first time they're meeting. It's awkward and weird."

"Betsey asked me if he was gonna hurt her 'cause the last brother she had did really bad things to her. I told her he wouldn't do that, and I thought she believed me, but I guess she's still afraid. I don't blame the kid and I don't know Mason well enough to say for sure that he's not gonna—."

"You're not suggesting that my kid would hurt someone, are you? 'Cause I really hope you're not."

"I'm not sayin' that, Coop. I'm just sayin' that I can't say for sure that he's not gonna hurt her. I doubt he will. He doesn't seem like he would." She pauses. "But Betsey's still afraid and I don't know what to do to make sure she's comfortable, to make sure she believes me when I tell her Mason's not gonna hurt her. I assume Mason's gonna be spendin' a lot of time here and I just want them to get along, to be comfortable around each other."

He nods. "I'll have a talk with Mason and see if I can't get him to talk to Betsey more and play with her a little. It'll be fine. They'll be best friends soon enough."

She nods. "I hope you're right."

He hooks his arm around her and kisses the side of her head. "Let's go to bed. It's been a long day." He pauses. "By the way, you were really great with Mason. I knew you would be, but I'm just saying you were."

"He's a good kid. His mother on the other hand—."

"Charlotte."

She bites her tongue and leans against him. "Never mind." She lets out a breath and then they walk out of the kitchen and disappear into their bedroom.


End file.
